£25 for a cookie: Britain’s luxury bakery boom

In Hackney, a Percy Ingle that stood for nearly 50 years has been replaced by Fika, where a cinnamon bun is £4.20 and a pistachio croissant nearly £5. Elsewhere, Copains sells a large babka for £12.50 and an éclair for £11.90, Harrods offers a savoury croissant topped with gold leaf for £12, and Cedric Grolet charges £25 for a hazelnut cookie.

The age of the £10‑plus pastry has arrived, driven in part by viral social media posts and long queues in cities from London to New York and Paris. Independent bakeries in the UK have grown by 34% in the past five years, with the Midlands, East Anglia and the north of England expanding fastest.

Emma Bell, a business professor at the Stockholm School of Economics, says high‑end bakeries have benefited from a shift away from cheap, ultra‑processed food toward businesses that “promote craft making”, with customers willing to spend on unique, indulgent pastries.

United Kingdom, Hackney

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